Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to rename a lion “Akbar” and a lioness “Sita,” following a controversy over their names after both animals were placed in the same enclosure at Siliguri’s Safari Park.
The court issued the directive while hearing a plea by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to change the name of the lioness, recently transferred to West Bengal from Tripura, according to media reports.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, presiding over the single-judge bench, orally directed the state to avoid controversy and consider renaming the animals.
“Will you name a lion after a Hindu deity, a Muslim prophet, a Christian god, a freedom fighter, or a Nobel laureate? Generally, anyone who is revered or respected by the people of our country?” Justice Bhattacharyya questioned.
The Additional Advocate General (AAG) representing West Bengal informed the court that the lions were named in Tripura and the state was already contemplating renaming them.
The court further questioned the rationale behind naming an animal after “a god, mythological hero, freedom fighter, or Nobel laureate” and inquired why the state did not challenge the names given by Tripura.
“You are a welfare state and a secular state. Why should you court controversy by naming a lion after Sita and Akbar? This controversy should have been avoided.
“Not only Sita, but I also don’t support the naming of a lion Akbar. He was a very efficient and noble Mughal emperor. A very successful and secular Mughal emperor. If it is already named, the state authority should shun it and avoid it,” Justice Bhattacharyya remarked.